The Panini Press

Dog Food for Thought

DOG FOOD FOR THOUGHT

By Natasha Shon

In the United States alone, there are approximately 63 million dog owners and over 70 million dogs! Now that’s a lot of kibble! So just what are all of these dogs eating? I’m sure you’ve been to the grocery store and seen the overwhelming number of varieties of dog food. They even have pet supermarkets where you can find everything from canned to kibble to toys to treats. We all want to do right by our dogs so just what IS right? Well, I’m no expert but I sure have done a lot of research on the good, the bad, and the ugly of the dog food market. All I can tell you is what I feed my 2 dogs, Nestle, my precious 9-year-old jack russell terrier (no—not "jack russell terrorist"—he’s pure sweetness…that is unless you touch his feet), and Lacy, my two year old lovable golden retriever.

Brooklyn Brewery

Written by Larry Hanzo

In the mid-20th century, New York City had about 45 local breweries. Up until the late 1960’s there were still a number of local breweries in operation. By 1976 the local presence was over when Schafer-Reingold closed down. This was not isolated to New York City, it was happening throughout the country. National brands with their massive advertising budgets and large scale distribution networks started to control the majority mind set of the beer drinking public.

Lambert Bridge Winery

Written by Larry Hanzo

When I started to write this piece I had an historical flashback. In the late 1970’s a job transfer moved the family to Southern California. Once we settled in, one of my priorities was to visit the wine country and learn as much as I could about California wines. It took about two years and by 1980 my wife and I were ready to begin the quest for wine knowledge.

The free wheeling days of the early eighties were quite different from today. Everything seemed to be simpler and less complicated. Airline fares were inexpensive. You could fly from the Orange County airport to Oakland for $99.00 round trip. If you were headed to wine country you wanted to go to Oakland because Napa Valley was only about an hour north of the airport, straight up Rt. 29.

You may regard sustainability as merely a science, but it’s evolved into a way of life—and it’s not just for crunchy-granola-eaters anymore! Today’s dedicated foodies are sharing more than restaurant tips; they’re sharing in society’s responsibility to preserve the food chain as we know it. A small investment of effort—for instance time spent researching the best methods of recycling cooking oil—can net a tremendous benefit. (The oil we collect can be transformed into livestock feed or bio-diesel, a cleaner-burning alternative fuel for diesel vehicles.)